1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method for preventing counterfeiting of sales slips, bank checks and other valuable and sensitive records and documents and more particularly to the apparatus for fabricating multi-colored printing ribbons suitable for use in business machines, printers and for retrofitting existing business machines for printing such records and documents in which the printing ribbon has segments of colors placed serially in an alternating and predetermined sequence along the longitudinal length of the printing ribbon transverse to the entire width of the web of the printing ribbons which are adapted for use in the said method for preventing counterfeiting and that of such records and documents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well-known in the prior art that there are apparatus and methods for fabricating multi-colored printing ribbons having continuous lengths of at least two or more colored inks disposed side-by-side and parallel to each other along the entire length of the longitudinal axis of the web of the multi-colored printing ribbon. In the typical black-red two-colored printing ribbon, a length of black ink and a length of red ink deposited on the web of the printing ribbon each occupy approximately one-half of the entire longitudinal length of the web of the printing ribbon. In the use of such two-colored printing ribbons in any given business machine, the user can establish printed characters from such two-colored printing ribbons in black, in red or some combination of both.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,705 to Reitano shows a color-coded digit identifying ribbon for document fraud prevention in which the printing ribbon has parallel sections of colored inks extending along the longitudinal length of the ribbon in a ratio to each other to cover the entire width of the given printing ribbon. Conventionally, this printing ribbon is advanced in the direction of its longitudinal length and the impact business machine or other printers using such multi-color printing ribbon strike it transverse to the longitudinal direction of the movement of the printing ribbon. As a result, each column of characters or numbers can be in the same or in a different color and by comparing the printed color with the assigned color for that column, simple inspection of a record printed with such given ribbon, can tell whether the character or number is correct or has been altered. Because any error in the positioning of each character or the distortion of the color of the ribbon could create a possible error situation, it is essential that the depositing of each section or strip of colored ink on the ribbons being fabricated be very accurate and that no bleeding occur between adjacent colors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,312 describes the existing need for controlling the counterfeiting of sales, bank checks and other valuable records and documents to prevent the use of such printed records for various fraudulent schemes to cheat retailers. Further, that while sophisticated printing equipment or specialized types of papers for such records or documents provides means and methods for overcoming this problem, the costs of such equipment to replace conventional printing equipment and the problems of obtaining cooperation with the suppliers of such specialized papers and the security entailed in preventing any theft of such specialized types of paper or unauthorized distribution of such paper presents additional problems which negative use of either of these solutions to the problem particularly by retailers who operate on low margins of profit.
Since most conventional business machines for producing such sales, bank check and other valuable records rely on impact printing in which a character is formed on a paper substrate as a result of the impact of the printing head upon an intermediate printing ribbon for transferring the impression, shape or alphanumeric characters on the printing head to the substrate paper, U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,312 describes a method of using a multi-colored printing ribbon which fits such conventional business machines or for retrofitting to existing business machines in the commercial marketplace to provide a cheap and easy technique adapted for overcoming this counterfeiting problem.
Thus U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,312 discloses the use of a multi-colored printing ribbon formed with two or more generally parallel lengths of longitudinally extending inked colors deposited along the longitudinally axis of the web of the printing ribbon and in the direction of travel of the ribbon to prevent counterfeiting of sales, bank checks and other important records in which the alphanumeric characters printed with such multi-colored printing ribbon will have at least an upper portion printed in one color while the lower portion is printed in a second color. If more than two colors are used, the central portion of the printed alphanumeric character may be in at least one additional color.
However, depending upon the colors and the coloring materials chosen for inking the printing ribbons made, for example, in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,312, the resulting printed characters may be difficult to read or the colors when printed can run into each other which obscures the printed characters when such printing ribbons are used.
The present invention also overcomes the general counterfeiting problems in the commercial marketplace and the difficulties noted above with respect to prior art multi-colored printing ribbons for use with conventional business machines or printers by the method of equipping or retrofitting such business machines or printers with a multi-colored printing ribbon using serially disposed colored ink segments wherein the colored ink segments are arranged alternatively and in predetermined sequence transverse to the width of the longitudinal axis of the given printing ribbon. The alphanumeric characters on the printing head for printing with such improved multi-colored printing ribbons are arranged to strike the interposed intermediate printing ribbon so that the characters are generally in one of the colors of the segments and characters which are struck at the boundaries of a two adjacent colored ink segments may be made of two colors, one on the upper portion, another on the lower portion or with the left portion in one color and the right portion in another. By controlling the length of the colored ink segments deposited on the web of the printing ribbon and limiting the printing field all multi-colored characters may be eliminated or can be established at predetermined points along the line of printing formed by the business machine or printer.